Donald Trump defended ghostwriter Meredith McIver on Wednesday following the revelation that she plagiarized a 2008 speech by First Lady Michelle Obama for use in Melania Trump’s speech at this week’s Republican National Convention.

“She made a mistake, and, you know, people make mistakes,” Trump told ABC News host George Stephanopoulos. “You’ve made mistakes, we’ve all made mistakes.”

McIver’s “mistake” — lifting a section from Obama’s remarks at the 2008 Democratic National Convention — could be a violation of federal campaign laws since the writer is a Trump employee.

The presumptive GOP presidential nominee, however, rejected McIver’s offer to resign in the wake of the uproar caused by the plagiarism. Trump said she came forward because “she hated to see the conflict.”

“If I didn’t know how good she was — I’ve done books with her that have been best-sellers — she’s a terrific person,” he said. “She just made a mistake. And I thought it was terrific, the way she came forward.”

About the Author

Arturo R. García is the managing editor at Racialicious.com. He is based in San Diego, California and has written for both print and broadcast media, including contributions to GlobalComment.com, The Root and Comment Is Free. Follow him on Twitter at @ABoyNamedArt